Topic: Focus
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Focus
China-Japan island dispute opens door to misunderstandingsStubbornness over conflicting claims to the Diaoyu/Senkaku islands in the East China Sea holds out the prospect of competing maritime patrols and continued tensions, raising the risk of an incident.
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Will China's new leaders really take on North Korea?Making real sanctions bite would threaten the North Korean regime's stability, and an imploding North Korea could mean refugees flooding across the border, say Chinese scholars.
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Will China, Japan, and South Korea hit the 'reset' button for Asia?In a historic moment of coincidence, new leaders are taking the helm in China, Japan, and South Korea, providing an unprecedented moment for the region to refresh relations.
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Can Kenya's March election avoid killings, catastrophe, of last national vote?Kenya prized its strategic and symbolic importance as one of Africa's leading democracies. But bloody post-election riots in 2007 has the world now watching.
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Will Twitter make an impact in Kenya's elections next week?Smart phones now affordable for the first time and can carry messages of reconciliation as well as hate.
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Dorner case legacy: rekindled distrust, resentment of policeWhen ex-cop Christopher Dorner pursued his fatal vendetta against Los Angeles Police Department, his cause resonated with some in the black community. Why has the old rift between police and minorities been so hard to heal?
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US 'pivot to Asia': Is John Kerry retooling it?A focus of American resources on Asia was a major priority when Hillary Rodham Clinton was secretary of State. But it is unclear if John Kerry will follow her approach exactly, many regional analysts say.
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Going green: Forget the McNugget eaters, target McDonald's itselfPaper giant APP's move to go green in Indonesia has thrilled environmentalists. Many activist groups are now focusing on buying practices that could affect a firm's reputation – as well as its finances.
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Stunning reversal? Why 'big paper' just went green in Indonesia.Asia Pulp & Paper Co. has promised to stop using wood from Indonesia's natural forests. Unprecedented market pressures, driven in part by Barbie and Mickey Mouse, helped.
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How US military plans to carry out Obama's 'pivot to Asia'A US policy shift toward Asia means a greater role for the Navy. Even pre-'pivot to Asia,' it already stationed half its ships in the region, and it is developing a new 'afloat forward staging base' in the Pacific.
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Drugs in sports: Who is winning the doping war?As scientists close the gap on doping detection, athletes bent on cheating can still game the system. Stricter enforcement from league authorities is critical to redeeming sports scandalized by doping – cycling, baseball, and potentially the NFL.
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Ben Johnson to Lance Armstrong: A chronology of doping scandalAthletes accused of using banned substances threaten the integrity of sports ranging from track and field to baseball and cycling. Will the NFL be next? Here is a look at key moments in the evolution of sports doping.
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Brazil's affirmative action law offers a huge hand upPublic universities in Brazil will reserve half their seats to provide racial, income, and ethnic diversity – a law that goes the furthest in the Americas in attempting race-based equality. It will most greatly affect the large Afro-Brazilian population.
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African heritage in Latin AmericaAfro-descendants in Latin America have had a different experience from those in the US, experts say. Despite this, social, economic, and cultural discrimination has been historically very strong.
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State of the Union: Obama's ambitious second-term agenda (+video)Prospects are mixed for President Obama's second-term agenda, from immigration to climate change to economic recovery. Both Obama and the Republicans are walking a tricky political line.
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State of the Union: Can Obama still be transformational?In his State of the Union address Tuesday, President Obama can fuel talk that he is the Democrats’ Ronald Reagan – an iconic figure whose goals guide his party's next generation.
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A new, different kind of 'troubles' in Northern IrelandThe past two months of rioting around Belfast aren't a return to the clashes of two decades ago. Rather, they are a sign of a new split, this time between unionists themselves along class lines.
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For Northern Irish republicans, life is hard, but life is goodDespite suffering similar – if not worse – financial woes, Northern Ireland's Catholics are upbeat about the future, and a world apart from the unionist rioting that has racked Belfast.
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Behind the falling US birthrate: too much student debt to afford kids?The record-low birthrate in the US is showing no signs of bouncing back, even with the economy on the mend. Evidence is growing that huge student debt may be deterring people from starting families.
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Why combat role for US women could reverberate worldwideIn many countries, women have historically served in combat when demographics demanded it. But the US move is based on equal opportunity for women – and could become a model for others.
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Beyond rape trial, a bigger question about women's status in IndiaCourt proceedings began today for five of the men accused in the deadly gang rape of a young woman in Delhi that led to her recent death.
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Debt ceiling: With debate on hold, where is US economy headed now?With the debt ceiling's threat no longer imminent, the US economy appears to be stuck in neutral, waiting to be pushed forward or back. Here are head winds and tail winds competing for influence.
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How much Quran belongs in the classroom?Under an Islamist government, many expect far more religion in the Egyptian curriculum. But the reality of governing has tempered that push.
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Egyptians begin to take back their clunker classroomsEgypt's beleaguered educational system has long been run by Cairo, with poor results. Only Mongolia and Honduras rank lower among comparable economies. Egyptians now demand better.
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How to get high school dropouts into 'recovery'?Innovative programs across the US are finding some success in reengaging high school dropouts. They strive to target 'disconnected' youths – those not in school and not working, who are a costly burden for taxpayers.
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